Depression is an illness. It is not anybody’s fault. It is not a spiritual failure. It is not a sin. It is not a punishment. It is not a symptom of anything evil. It is not a sign that God has stopped loving someone. It is just an illness.

Forty hours after they had witnessed Jesus being crucified, his remaining disciples were gathered, frightened and grief-stricken. A group of agitated women burst in on them with a message that they greeted with incredulity.

Depression is an illness. It is not anybody’s fault. It is not a spiritual failure. It is not a sin. It is not a punishment. It is not a symptom of anything evil. It is not a sign that God has stopped loving someone. It is just an illness.

At the outbreak of war in 1914 many young British men enlisted to fight because their Christian convictions convinced them that this was the right thing to do. Some Christians opposed violence on pacifist grounds.

Can you be a follower of Jesus by yourself, and not go to church? Yes! However, if you choose to be a Christian without sharing that experience with others, you risk missing out on something important.